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Training Pediatric House Staff in Evidence-Based Ethics: An Exploratory Controlled Trial

Journal of Perinatology volume 21, pages 161–166 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an educational intervention in evidence-based ethics (emphasizing clinical knowledge, epidemiologic skills, and recognition of ethical issues) administered to house staff before rotating through our neonatal intensive care unit.

STUDY DESIGN: A controlled trial of 64 pediatric house staff assigned to alternating control and intervention rotations. Questionnaires were administered at the end of the rotation.

RESULTS: Some benefits of the intervention were observed. However, a large percentage of intervention and control house staff substantially overestimated (>1.25 correct value) predischarge mortality (23% vs. 55% of house staff; p<0.02), mortality or major morbidity (74% vs. 46% of house staff; p=0.04), and cerebral palsy rates (70% vs. 87%; p=0.12). Neither group cited many methodological criteria for evaluating follow-up studies (3.3 vs. 2.4 criteria; p=0.05) or ethical issues considered in treatment recommendations for extremely premature infants (3.1 vs. 2.8 issues; p=0.35).

CONCLUSION: Improved house staff training in evidence-based ethics is needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX

    Terri L Major-Kincade MD, MPH, Jon E Tyson MD, MPH & Kathleen A Kennedy MD

  2. Department of Pediatrics, UT Houston Medical School, 6431 Fannin Street, MSB 3.228, Houston, 77030, TX

    Terri L Major-Kincade MD, MPH, Jon E Tyson MD, MPH & Kathleen A Kennedy MD

Authors
  1. Terri L Major-Kincade MD, MPH
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  2. Jon E Tyson MD, MPH
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  3. Kathleen A Kennedy MD
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Additional information

This study was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Resident Research Grant Award) and by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (Specialized Clinical Fellowship 3U10HD21373-12S1).

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Major-Kincade, T., Tyson, J. & Kennedy, K. Training Pediatric House Staff in Evidence-Based Ethics: An Exploratory Controlled Trial. J Perinatol 21, 161–166 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7200570

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